


a place to stay

by sarka_stically



Category: T@gged (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, mention of abuse - MENTION
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 18:56:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18267398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarka_stically/pseuds/sarka_stically
Summary: brandon sneaks in her bedroom in the middle of the night, not for the reason you think.HAPPY (tomorrow) BIRTHDAY LIEKE - THIS IS FOR YOU!





	a place to stay

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed and short as hell. sorry about that :/

It is about two months after Zoey got arrested, when Brandon Darrow climbs through her window in the middle of the night. Rowan isn't sleeping (the haven't been sleeping for a while), but even if she was, sound of him, pushing a huge duffle bag though her window and then ungracefully climbing in, would have woken her instantly.

“What are you doing?” She questions, getting up from the bed.

“Running away.” He states bluntly, dropping the duffle bag on the bed. Rowan is already preparing her snarky comment, but chokes on it, when she finally takes in his appearance.

Brandon looks like death warmed over. He is too pale, paler than usual, which makes a black eye stand out even more. His hair is a mess and his whole body is shaking with activity.

“What happened?” Rowan asks, though she already knows the answer. Brandon hadn't exactly been secretive about his home situation.

“Dad.” He mutters simply, sitting next to her on the bed. In those two months they became accustomed to the proximity of one another. Rowan puts her head on Brandon's shoulder automatically.

“I need to crash here.” He continues. Rowan wishes she could control Responsible good girl Rowan, but that bitch is quicker than Rowan thought so she hears herself say: “You can't stay here.”

Brandon must be shocked by that statement, because he is silent for few moments.

“Just till tomorrow.” He says, his voice unusually weak. She can't say no to that. He already stayed over for so many times she lost the count.

So they lie in her bed, side to side. Closer than friends would, but both still unwilling to tear down that invisible wall they built around themselves and take the other's hand. Though Rowan sure wants to.

She remembers those dozens of sleepovers her, Brandon and Trev had. Those two guys somehow became the only constant in her life since her Mom and Trevor's Dad somehow managed to come home so sporadically it feels like they are only visiting. There is a strange pressure between the three of them, since both Rowan and Trev are both so incredibly in love with Brandon Darrow and they both know it (Even Brandon must know it if he is not completely blind.) But it’s not the bad kind of pressure – they love each other too much for that. Over last two weeks they became a little broken family.

Rowan loves the girls too, but it's not the same. They may have gone through the same ordeal, but Elisia and Hailey never truly understood what it all was like for Rowan. They expected her to protect them, to be the strong one, the one that doesn’t break. So she was, even when she didn’t want to.

Around the guys it didn't have to be like this. They have seen her in her best and in her worst, and vice versa.

….

Later that night, Rowan is awoken by a sound of rushed footsteps and a loud crash. Blood rushes in her head, a heartbeat in her ears ( _It’s back. They are back_.) Then she turns around to find Brandon gone. Same with his luggage.

“You dumb jerk..” Rowan mutters. She quickly gets to her feet to see Brandon with his duffle bag walking down the driveway.

“Where the hell are you going?” Rowan screams at him as she climbs out of the window. He stops and slowly turns around while she walks to his side.  
“I need to go. Find some other place to crash.”

Rowan scoffs, little too tired and too worried for his theatrics at the moment.

“I literally just told you: you can stay.”

“Yeah – like for today. But tomorrow I would have to go back home and I can’t go home, ok.”

“I get it.” Rowan says automatically, though she is absolutely positive she doesn’t, not really.

“I can’t go home.” He repeats and his voice is getting shaky. Rowan acts on the instinct, hugging him and squeezing tight. She is sure he would normally have something completely inappropriate to say about that, but not now. Judging by the way his shoulders shake, he may be crying, but Rowan decides not to comment on that, he would surely close himself off if she did. Instead she whispers:

“You can stay.” and when he doesn’t response she adds “Please stay.” Because fuck what _Responsible Rowan_ thinks, she is not letting him walk away.

This may be stupid and unprepared, and she has no idea what she will do the next day and the day after that. But she doesn’t care. All Rowan knows is that she is not letting him walk away.


End file.
